Author Spotlight: Belinda E. Oliver

At today’s Author Spotlight, I bring you Belinda Oliver. A friend of mine referred her to me few months ago, and so I decided to interview her.  I am quite impressed with the topics of writing she covers. Sounds interesting! So read on.

Belinda Esther Oliver, or as she is affectionately called "Bee" or "Queen Bee," is a visionary administrator and author of “The Prophetic Prayers of the Proverbs 31 Woman” and “The Love Journey Series.” In addition, she is the founder of "Teaching Lessons…Defining Moments™," and the brands “A Ruth Moment™”, “Everybody Needs A Queen™”, “Everybody Needs A King™”.

Mandy: Welcome to Mandy’s Pages, Belinda. It is an honor to have you with us. Tell us something about yourself.

Belinda: My name is Belinda E. Oliver and I am a mother, a student as well as a teacher. I used to call myself the jack of all trades but at some point I began to master some stuff, LOL!  I use my writing as a tool to give my audience insight into their lives regarding, love, marriage, and relationships. 

How did you get started writing? 

I actually started writing when I was younger.  I would pen poems and quips in my notebook. I’ve actually found some of my earlier work. In addition, on special occasions I would create signature poems for the celebrant.

Give us the back-cover version of  your books ... 

The Prophetic Prayers of the Proverbs 31 Woman 

The Prophetic Prayers of the Proverbs 31 Woman is a model of prayers for women to strengthen their life through personal enrichment by focusing on themselves on a daily basis. This book of prayers will fortify her growth each day as she delves into rich supportive words that seem to leap off the page as they reinvigorate and build her up to assist her in supporting her dreams and goals. 

The Love Journey Series, Volume 1, A Journey of Unconditional Love

Volume I is a mixture of love poems and short quips that speaks to loving a person unconditionally. If you are not on a Journey of Unconditional Love this book is a pathway to that process. Also sprinkled throughout the book are remakes of the Song of Solomon (The Modern Day Lover). 

 Behind every successful writer is... 

Their downtime! LOL I am a true introvert and I need downtime to manage inward reflection as well as my intimate prayer time with God. This is what fuels my passion to write. As my publisher, Sean Cort, who knows me very well once said -  I need to go back and recharge and when I come out of my hole I have more content. Of course that has been cleaned up for public consumption! LOL

Smiles. With the amount of writing that you do and your continuous interest in the emotional / spiritual welfare of a person, typically how much time do you spend writing? 

Typically, I write something every day. I tend to just flow and when the topic comes to mind I make note of it. If I am not near my PC I’ll jot a note or send an email to myself as a reminder of what I was thinking about at that current time. In fact, the spoken word in the prayer book was penned  with one line I placed in my Iphone on September 3, 2010 which was at least a month before it was determined it would be part of the book of prayers. It took me approximately 20 minutes to write it. Aspiring authors take note to write down what comes to mind! 

Does the prayer book hold relevance for you?  Was it something personal or was it aimed at a specific group of readers? 

The Prayer book is what I called an assignment I did not want to do but since completing it, it has changed my life. As the author, I have read it with a non-critical eye at least 3 times myself. Every time I read it, I get a different perspective on my life. 

When did you start your prayer book and the Love Journey series?  What made you compile your work into a book?

I started the Prayer book in 2010, while at the same time I was compiling the Love Journey Series. The editing took well over a year for the prayer book. As for the Love Journey Series, I realized one day based on my FB and Twitter updates I had enough content for a book.

How is your book different from other books in this genre? 

My prayer book is prophetic and it denotes change for a person if they choose to be consistent in reading it. There is a daily prayer for 31 days, i.e. it is a monthly prayer book. On the other hand, the Love Journey Series is based on God’s unconditional love. This means that a person cannot choose to be selfish and should love properly.

In one sentence, who should buy your books? 

The prayer book is designed for women, whether they are married, single, divorced or planning marriage, while the Love Journey Series is designed for those who wish to glean a deeper understanding about unconditional love.

What advice would you give aspiring authors? 

My word of encouragement is to write, even when you do not feel like it. One must be focused, and disciplined. Also, do not be so critical of your work that it stumps your growth and your ability to just flow in your natural state of creativity.

Are you working on anything now? What's in the future? 

I have just created two new brands called “Everybody Needs A Queen™”, “Everybody Needs A King™”.

 If you are to describe your work as a whole, how would you portray your writing? Or rather, what makes your writing different from another?   

The premise of my writing is to cover not only love and relationships but life itself. I believe we can bring about change in peoples’ lives by teaching people to tap into the atmosphere around them. To do this we must assist them to identify some of the everyday issues that they deal and or struggle with. We must always understand before we can assist others we should be continually assessing ourselves first; for it helps us to empathize with others and their life journey. 

Thank you so much Belinda, for your time with this interview. From my team at Mandy’s Pages I wish you the very best in your writing and in your personal adventure through love and life.

So there we have it folks … yet another author to be reckoned with. Check out Belinda’s writing at her website Belinda E. Oliver.

You may also get in touch with her on Facebook  to know more about her books.  Find her also on twitter by the name @BelindaEOliver. 

Image Credits: Belinda E. Oliver